Tag Archives: Will Ferrell

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga Review

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The deadline for submitting entries for this year’s Christmas in July Blogathon is fast approaching! There are still several spots left for the blogathon and if you’re interested in joining in, check out this post.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga movie posterSynopsis
Lars (Will Farrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams), better known as the Icelandic singing duo Fire Saga, are given the opportunity to represent their country of Iceland at Eurovision.

Review
After my experience paying full price for the rental of You Should Have Left, I am skeptical of paying for on-demand film releases. Thankfully, Netflix is still releasing films on its streaming service and their latest release, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, came at the perfect time for me. Written by Will Ferrell and Andrew Steele, this movie is cut from the same cloth as Ferrell’s similar films like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Blades of Glory. So if you aren’t a fan of Ferrell then this might not be the movie for you. For me, I do like Ferrell’s films and his brand of humor so I did enjoy this movie.

The core of Eurovision Song Contest is a feel-good story focused around the characters Lars (Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams), who are very easy to get behind and root for. From a story perspective, it hits all the beats you would expect but that doesn’t mean it also isn’t enjoyable. Rachel McAdams is an absolute sweetheart and a great actress to carry the story since, in my opinion, her character’s arc is more interesting than Ferrell’s character’s. However, the stand out performance is easily Dan Stevens as Alexander Lemtov, the singer representing Russia at the song competition. He serves as a foil for Lars and a love interest for Sigrit. Stevens is clearly having a good time on screen and that in turn makes the film more enjoyable for the audience.

I thought Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga was GOOD 🙂 It’s a pretty generic film and I contemplated giving it a lower score but honestly, I’m a sucker for feel-good stories (and Rachel McAdams). Maybe I would have gotten more out of it if I was more familiar with Eurovision but I will admit that I had fun watching this. The songs written for the film are also good and catchy, nothing like the soundtrack of The High Note, but like the rest of the film, they are still fun. A lot of your opinion of this film is going to fall on your opinion of Will Ferrell and his other films; It is exactly what you expect from a Ferrell movie. It’s not the best movie out there but it is a good holdover movie while we wait for theaters to reopen.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
David Dobkin – Director
Will Ferrell – Writer
Andrew Steele – Writer
Atli Orvarsson – Composer

Will Ferrell – Lars Erickssong
Rachel McAdams – Sigrit Ericksdottir
Pierce Brosnan – Erick Erickssong
Dan Stevens – Alexander Lemtov
Melissanthi Mahut – Mita Xenakis
Mikael Persbrandt – Victor Karlosson
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson – Neils Brongus
Graham Norton – Himself

Elf Review: Christmas in July Blogathon 2018

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Well, here we are. We’ve reached the final entry of the 2018 Christmas in July Blogathon. I may be biased, but I can’t think of anyone better to conclude this year’s festivities. This concluding review comes from non-other than someone you all know and love: me! Yoy might’ve guessed that I would be reviewing Elf if you follow my twitter. Elf is always at the top of my list of things to watch during the holiday season. I’m surprised it took me this long to review it. It’s been long enough, let’s get to it already!

Elf movie posterSynopsis
Buddy (Will Farrell) learns that after growing up at the North Pole, he is not an elf. He heads to New York City in hopes of reconnecting with his biological father (James Caan).

Review
In talking to people, Will Farrell seems to be one of those actors that either you like or you don’t. I haven’t meet anyone who was like “He’s ok.” However, at the same time, I haven’t meet anyone who didn’t like Elf. Ferrell’s unique personality and comedy is the perfect fit for Buddy, an elf who is a fish-out-of-water in New York City. He wonderfully portrays Buddy’s innocence and unfamiliarity of being in a big city. As delightful as Ferrell is, he doesn’t outshine the rest of the cast. Zooey Deschanel is a treat as Jovie, beautiful and sweet, seeing that Buddy is someone special. Veteran actors James Caan and Mary Steenburgen are great together, easily pulling off being a married couple. Daniel Tay as Buddy’s half-brother Michael might just be the most underappreciated character of the film, possessing as much heart and love for others as Buddy.

Christmas films tend to have a similar message about caring for others and showing that love in meaningful ways. Elf is no different but it does so in the classic comedy way of dropping the main character in an unfamiliar environment. And Buddy is someone worth rooting for. You want to see him succeed because, at his core, he is a good person. As a result, he brings a lot of heart to film. Which in the end is why this film is so beloved, despite mixed feeling towards Ferrell’s comedy, and instantly became a holiday staple.

I thought Elf was GREAT 😀 Regardless of your feelings on Will Ferrell, chances are you’ll enjoy this movie. Luckily, Ferrell doesn’t carry the movie alone and the supporting cast around him all give extraordinary performances. Filled to the brim with heart, you’ll have no trouble finding this easily quotable film on many people’s must-watch list during the holiday season.

Favorite Quote
Buddy: You sit on a throne of lies.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Jon Favreau – Director
David Berenbaum – Writer
John Debney – Composer

Will Ferrell – Buddy
Zooey Deschanel – Jovie
James Caan – Walter
Mary Steenburgen – Emily
Daniel Tay – Michael
Bob Newhart – Papa Elf
Edward Asner – Santa
Amy Sedaris – Dev
Andy Richter – Morris
Kyle Gass – Eugene
Michael Lerner – Fulton
Faizon Love – Gimbel’s Manager
Peter Dinklage – Miles Finch

As I’ve mentioned a few time before on this blog, I play a lot of Overwatch. I also have been following the Overwatch League (OWL) as best I can (the season 1 grand finals start tomorrow, btw). So this year, I am inviting OWL personality Soe Gschwind-Penski to our holiday party.

That’s the wrap! Tomorrow, I will have a summary of this year’s entries and party guests. Thanks for hanging about during the blogathon!

Until next time, cheers!

Movie Quote of the Week – 5/13/16

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Movie Quote of the Week banner

Answer to MWL 5/11/16: Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) – Step Brothers

Brennan Huff: I can’t believe I have been living here for two weeks and I’m walking around this place thinking I’ve got a huge doucher for a step brother but secretly, you’re not a doucher.
Dale Doback: Let’s play a game. Alright? On the count of three, name your favorite dinosaur. Don’t even think about it, just name it. Ready? One, two, three…
Brennan and Dale : Velociraptor.
Brennan: Favorite non-pornographic magazine to masturbate to?
Brennan and Dale: Good Housekeeping.
Brennan: If you were a chick, who is the one guy you would sleep with?
Brennan and Dale: John Stamos.
Dale: What?!
Brennan: Did we just become best friends?
Dale: Yup!

Thanks for everyone’s submissions and such much more room for activities to the following people for answering correctly:

Carly (Carly Hearts Movies)
Tom (Digital Shortbread)

Movie Quote of the Week – 12/25/14

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Answer to MWL 12/23/14 – Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) – Elf

Buddy: Santa! it’s me, Buddy! It’s me!
Santa: Hey buddy, how ya doin’?
Buddy: Who the heck are you?
Santa: What are you talking about? I’m Santa.
Buddy: No you’re not.
Santa: Why of course I am! Ho ho ho.
Buddy: If you’re Santa, what song did I sing for you on your birthday this year?
Santa: “Happy Birthday,” of course. Ho ho ho. So how old are you, son?
Paul: Four.
Santa: You’re a big boy, what’s your name?
Paul: Paul.
Santa: And what can I get you for Christmas?
Buddy: Paul, don’t tell him what you want. He’s a liar.
Santa: Let the kid talk.
Buddy: You disgust me. How can you live with yourself?
Santa: Just cool it, zippy.
Buddy: You sit on a throne of lies.
Santa: Look, I’m not kidding here.
Buddy: You’re a fake.
Santa: I’m a fake? How would you like to be dead?
Paul: Fake?
Santa: Ho ho, he’s kidding.
Buddy: [Sniffs] You stink. You smell like beef and cheese. You don’t smell like Santa.

 The following people answered correctly:

Kim (Tranquil Dreams)
Jackie
FB/BS (Flashback/Backslide)

The Lego Movie Review

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The Lego Movie movie posterSynopsis
Emmet (Chris Pratt) is just an ordinary guy but all that changes when he stumbles upon the Piece of Resistance after following Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) through a mysterious hole. She informs him that he is The Special mentioned in a prophecy and takes him to meet Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), an old wizard. Together they embark on a quest to gather the MasterBuilders to stop Lord Business (Will Farrell) and put an end to his dastardly plan.

Review
The Lego Movie is the movie I have been waiting for ever since I was a kid. One of my biggest fears was that I overhyped this movie for myself after I saw the trailers. Honestly, I can say I have never been more excited for a movie in my life. I mean I was even more excited for this than I was for Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith or Marvel’s The Avengers, and that’s saying a lot. Thankfully, The Lego Movie was everything I hoped it would be and I left the theater very satisfied.

This movie is straight from a child’s imagination. By that I mean everything is made from legos and I mean everything. If there was a puff of smoke, it was legos shaped and moving like smoke. If there was water, it was legos shaped and moving like waves. On top of that there were many characters from different universes interacting together, such as city figures, pirates, the wild west, and DC characters. It reminded me a lot of the opening to Toy Story 3 where there were no rules and anybody could be a part of the story. And there were other objects that were included too, like a laser pointer, nail polish remover or a band-aid. Whenever these items appeared, they were all sized relative to the lego figures. It was very meta.

The voice actors in The Lego Movie knock it out of the park. The core cast of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, and Morgan Freeman all do well, but my favorites would have to be Liam Neeson as Bad Cop/Good Cop and Charlie Day as Benny, the 1980-something space guy. I didn’t realize Neeson did both Bad Cop and Good Cop and Day has such an energy that is hard for others to pull off. Will Ferrell really gets into the part of Lord Business. There are a ton of cameos as well, including Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams reprising their roles as C-3PO and Lando Calrissian, Jake Johnson (Barry), Jonah Hill (Green Lantern), Channing Tatum (Superman), Cobie Smulders (Wonder Woman), Shaquille O’Neal (himself), Keegan-Michael Key (Foreman Jim) and several others.

The animation of The Lego Movie is beautiful. Animal Logic, the studio responsible for the CGI, made the pieces look photoreal. The models were so lifelike I was under the impression it was stop motion for the longest time. Characters and locations did incorporated a mix of real lego sets along with the special effects to add in the extra sense of realism.

Normally an animated movie like this has more of a younger audience in mind, but there was more adult humor than I expected. There is plenty here for the younger crowd, such as the characters and action, but several of the characters’ relations and jokes are geared toward the older crowd. I suppose WB understood parents would get dragged to seeing The Lego Movie so they at least made it worth their while. In any case, no matter how old you are there is something here you will enjoy.

Emmet’s journey should be very familiar. It is much like Luke’s from Star Wars or, well, pretty much any protagonist’s that goes on some kind of trek for something. Basically what I’m saying is it has been done over and over before. So at this point, I look more at what happens along the way rather than the journey itself. In a way, the end of Emmet’s quest if fairly predictable. However, there is an unanticipated element to the ending which makes the entire journey worth more than it initially lets on.

I have been waiting my entire childhood for The Lego Movie. It has great voice actors with even better cameos and photoreal animation that had me questioning whether or not it was stop-motion. But its greatest strength is the expansive universe that duplicates the feeling that anything can happen, the same idea that fuels the imagination and what makes legos themselves so enjoyable. Although the journey may be familiar, the destination has some added bonuses that bring out the imaginative side in everyone.

Rating
5/5

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Phil Lord – Director/Story/Screenplay
Christopher Miller – Director/Story/Screenplay
Dan Hageman – Story
Kevin Hageman – Story
Mark Mothersbaugh – Composer

Chris Pratt – Emmet Brickowoski
Elizabeth Banks – Wyldstyle
Morgan Freeman – Vitruvius
Will Arnett – Batman
Will Ferrell – Lord Business/President Business
Liam Neeson – Bad Cop/Good Cop/Pa Cop
Charlie Day – Benny
Alison Brie – Unikitty
Nick Offerman – Metal Beard
David Burrows – Octan Robot